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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26189443">alive back from the dead</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/doc_pickles/pseuds/doc_pickles'>doc_pickles</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>TS x Jolex Week [8]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Grey's Anatomy</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe, F/M, Jolex Family Fluff, TSxJolex Week, a taylor swift lyric for a title again? must be a day that ends in Y, and so it continues</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 05:56:15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,655</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26189443</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/doc_pickles/pseuds/doc_pickles</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>This love is good<br/>This love is bad<br/>This love is a life back from the dead,<br/>These hands had to let it go free<br/>And this love came back to me. </p><p>(Song: This Love)</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Alex Karev/Jo Wilson Karev</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>TS x Jolex Week [8]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1892239</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>jolex x taylor swift week</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>alive back from the dead</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Bold of you all to assume that I could do this in one part. Here’s part two of my ‘This Love’ inspired fic. I ended up deciding to split it because I needed to establish Jo’s new reality AND this has a slight time jump so I killed two birds with one stone. Plus more content.<br/>Also this was NOT supposed to be angsty but Nat and Ren made me do it. S/O to them for helping me with plot lines when my brain stopped functioning during the massive heat wave I had to suffer through last week.<br/>Without further ado, my final contribution to TSxJolex week! This week was better than expected and I can’t thank y’all enough for that. And of course shout out to my ladies who co hosted with me for making this possible and suffering with me. Thank you to everyone who contributed and thanks for reading! xoxo</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>
    <span>One Year Later…</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Porter round on post ops, Thomas check on Grace in 192, and Jameson go check on the labs for the Thomas kid,” Alex sent his interns off, hand running through his hair as he glanced at his watch. It was nearing 4 PM which meant his day was almost done and he could go home and watch basketball and drink beer. Jo had Benji tonight, which meant that tomorrow Alex would get to see his son and spend the weekend with him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The one thing that Alex would be eternally grateful for in his life was Jo. The woman was a saint, she trusted him wholeheartedly and never questioned his ability to parent and always explained the things that he hadn’t been able to learn from being a pediatric surgeon. Benji was the light of his life and he was overjoyed that Jo had let him see his son as soon as he had asked her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Jo rushed through the doors of Grey Sloan, Benji in her arms as he attempted to brush snow off of her shoulder. She was already running late and the snow and closed roads hadn’t helped that matter. Neither did the little boy who was asking a million questions every second. But Jo was nothing if not an expert in parenting the rambunctious little boy and had come up with a creative answer to every question Benji threw her way.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Okay baby,” Jo set Benji down and tried her best to give him a convincing smile. “Mommy has a big meeting today which means you have to stay with daddy and be the best boy ever. Okay?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Benji nodded, but Jo knew the mischievous glint in her son’s eyes all too well. It was the same one his father wore when he pushed her into the lake and the same one that Benji wore when he was about to do something bad. So it was to no one’s surprise when Benji bolted away from Jo at light speed. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Benjamin Michael Wilson, you get back here right now!”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“I got him, you go to your fancy pants meeting,” Jo whirled around to find Alex standing behind her, his crooked grin settled on his face. “What? You’re wearing a skirt in 20 degree weather, I assume you’re trying to woo some big shot investors. I got him, don’t even worry about us.”</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span><br/>
</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>“Actually I’m bidding for us to develop that spot on 5th Street, but that’s not important. I might be late, so I can come get him from your place if you work tomorrow. Either way, I’ll call when I’m done,” Jo sighed, watching Benji as he began to run circles around the waiting area. “Okay I’m going, thank you again. You are a lifesaver and I owe you so big.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Stop thanking me, I’m his dad it’s the least I can do,” Alex laughed as Jo leaned up and placed a chaste kiss on his cheek before pulling her hood up and rushing back into the thick snowfall. Alex watched her for a moment, his cheek burning from where she had so casually kissed it. Even so many years on, Jo could make his heart race like no other. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Daddy! Look!”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Alex turned, barely moving fast enough to catch Benji as he dove from a waiting room chair. A deep sigh left the older man as he clutched his laughing son to his chest. He loved Benji with everything in him, but the now almost seven year old nearly sent him into cardiac arrest everyday with the new ways he found to scare his parents. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“You kid… you’re giving me a run for my money,” Alex pressed a kiss to Benji’s cheek as they walked up to the peds floor. “You wanna go see all the tiny babies in the plastic boxes?”</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span><br/>
</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>“Only if we can get ice cream in the cafeteria after,” Benji smiled up at Alex, who in turn began to laugh loudly at his son's manipulative skills. He knew he was to blame for that, but he was just excited that Benji was already taking on some of his mannerisms, even if it was the bad stuff. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A nurse calling his name snapped Alex out of his thoughts, eyes flitting to the young brunette that was batting her eyelashes his way. His days of sleeping with nurses were long behind him though, so he simply ignored her attempt at flirting and asked her to repeat what she had said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You son’s school is on line three, they’re asking when you’re coming to pick him up,” the nurse repeated, holding the phone away from her ear. “They can’t get ahold of his mom so they called you instead.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alex reached for the phone that the nurse held out for him, confirming with the school secretary what he’d just been told. Jo hadn’t shown to pick up Benji today, something that she never did. And Alex was certain that if she knew she was going to miss pickup that she would’ve called him first. He quickly thanked the secretary and hung up, telling the young nurse that he was leaving for the day and to forward his patients to literally anyone else. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>His heart was racing so fast that if he wasn’t a doctor Alex might think he was having a heart attack. Jo would always call, always with the same apologetic tone as she begged him to pick Benji up because she was running late. Never once in the year and a half that they had been coparenting had she been late or not called, hence the reason that Alex was freaked out beyond belief, hoping and praying that she was okay.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Pick up, come on Jo, pick up the damn phone,” Alex was rushing through the halls, making his way to his car as quickly as he could. He slammed his phone off with groan, hands searching frantically for his keys. “Damn it!”</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“Alex!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Turning quickly, Alex found Meredith standing behind him wringing her hands. He knew the look on her face almost too well, it was the one you wore when you told someone that their loved one wasn’t going to make it or that they were in a coma or anything just as life altering and terrible. Heart racing, Alex willed himself to not break down in the middle of the hospital as he waited for Meredith to say something, anything. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Come on Mer, just say it, please just say it,” Alex barely recognized the pleading tone his voice took on as Meredith stepped closer to him. “Please, just tell me what happened to Jo.”</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“There was an accident at the site she was overseeing, some kind of explosion,” Meredith choked the words out, eyes finally coming up to meet Alex’s as she rested a hand on his shoulder. “She’s in the ICU right now, she had minor internal injuries that we were able to take care of pretty quickly, but she inhaled a lot of smoke. She’s stable and she’ll be fine. You go and sit with her and I’ll get Benji, okay?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“She’s okay? Jo is okay and she’s here and she’s not dead,” Alex looked desperately at Meredith, who nodded at him as a confirmation, before he pulled her into a tight hug. “Oh shit. Thank you Mer. Thank you so much.”</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>The two parted ways then, Meredith leaving to get Benji and Alex rushing through the hospital to find Jo. He thought on the heavy feeling that had settled in his chest when he realized that he might have to live without Jo by his side, might have to raise their son without her. It had been the worst few minutes he could remember, thinking about the woman who had captured his heart and given him a family not being there anymore.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>While Jo and Alex hadn’t resumed their romantic relationship, their coparenting relationship had shown Alex that he couldn’t survive without her. She was so good with Benji and even with Alex too, she always knew how to calm both of them down quickly and she had a knack for finding all the socks they managed to lose in Alex’s apartment. More than that though, Jo was still the kind hearted waitress that Alex had fallen in love with so many years ago. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>After asking for Jo’s room number from a nurse, Alex snuck into her room quietly. She was sleeping peacefully, cuts on her jawline and arms vibrant red against her pale skin. Alex settled himself into the chair next to her bed, one hand coming up to hold Jo’s. She looked so small and broken, nothing like the strong, assertive woman he was used to dealing with. His mind wandered as he stared at Jo, thoughts trailing to just a few months earlier when Benji had begged him to join them for Halloween. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Daddy! Look, I’m Batman!”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Upon Benji’s insistence, Alex had agreed to go trick or treating with him and Jo that night. They were meeting up with Meredith and her kids later, but Benji had asked to go around Jo’s apartment complex first to show all of the neighbors his Batman costume. He seemed very proud of his decision, which is why Alex had also agreed to dress up after Benji asked him with his ‘puppy dog eyes’ as Jo liked to call them. His Superman costume was not something he would’ve chosen himself, but at the very least, his patients had loved the costume and he’d gotten many appreciative glances from the moms on the peds floor.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“I gotta say, you picked a good costume for me. All the moms at work loved it,” Alex grinned as he picked Benji up and held him on his hip. “Where’s your mama? Did you finally convince her to dress up with us?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Of course he did, I had to match my boys,” Jo’s voice sounded from down the hallway, growing louder as she walked closer to the front room. “Geez, these boots are gonna kill my damn feet tonight. I’m gonna have to wear slippers to work tomorrow.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Alex stared in awe as Jo came into his line of sight, jaw dropping in an embarrassing fashion. When Benji had said he wanted the three of them to match, Alex didn’t realize that meant that Jo would walk out in a full blown Wonder Woman costume. The costume, while definitely family friendly, still left little to the imagination as the red and blue fabric clung to Jo’s body tightly. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Mommy you look just like Wonder Woman!”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Benji wiggled out of Alex’s arms and ran to Jo, who grinned brightly as he hugged her legs. Alex shook himself out of his daze quickly, watching silently as Jo made sure that Benji had everything he needed before they left for the night.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“You know, I think those frat boys would lose their minds if they saw me now,” Jo grinned as she pulled at the collar of Alex’s button up to show more of the Superman shirt he donned underneath. “Luckily I still have you to scare the bad guys off.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Leaving a single red lipstick mark on his cheek, Jo patted Alex’s chest once more before grabbing Benji’s candy bucket and ushering both boys out the door. What Alex had done to deserve the woman next to him, even just as the mother of his child, was beyond even his thinking and reasoning. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Have to pick Benji up,” Jo’s sleep ridden and disoriented voice snapped Alex out of his daydream, his hand squeezing hers gently as she woke from her sleep. “I have to call Alex, tell Alex… Meredith was here, she can call Alex. Have to talk to him, have to call Alex.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey I’m right here,” Jo pried her eyes open then, Alex letting out a breath he didn’t know he was holding in as he met them. “Meredith is going to get Ben and I’m right here with you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mmm gas line exploded,” Jo coughed, Alex handing her the water that sat on the bedside table. She took a long sip before letting out a chuckle. “I survived a freaking explosion. It’s cause I kept thinking about coming home to my boys.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alex stared at Jo, watching her eyes roam over him in relief. She let out a loud sigh, her eyes closing again as she realized that he really was sitting next to her. The fact that she was awake so soon after the accident wasn’t lost on Alex. He knew that she was right, that she had fought to get to where she is because of Benji. She had also mentioned him but he wasn’t focusing on that little detail right now. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You scared the shit out of me Jo,” Alex brought her hand up to his lips, pressing a kiss lightly against her skin. “You better keep coming home to us or so help me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jo laughed then, the genuine laugh that Alex got to hear when they were drunk or when she and Benji got into tickle fights. The sound filled the room, bringing light to the dark situation that they'd found themselves in. Jo squeezed Alex’s hand, their eyes meeting as he took in the serious expression on her face. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I've been thinking and I want Benji to take your last name,” Jo’s eyes met Alex’s as he blinked in surprise. He’d never asked for that before and probably never would. He knew how much having the same last name as her son meant to Jo. “And me too, if you’ll have me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His heart skipped a beat as Alex began to understand what Jo was asking him. </span>
  <em>
    <span>She wanted her and Benji… </span>
  </em>
  <span>this woman would be the death of him. Leave it to her to try and ask him to marry her while she was recovering from the aftermath of an explosion. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you… proposing to me? While you’re laying in a hospital bed?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Only if you say yes. If you say no, then it’s the morphine talking. I… I love you, I have for a long time. You gave me the greatest little boy and you’re such a good dad to him,” Jo grinned, watching Alex closely as he stared dumbly at her. She really was serious about this. “And you care about me too, even after all the shit we went through. I know it sounds crazy, but I really wanna marry you. You and Benji… you are my heart and you are my home.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alex, for however many times he had imagined a future with Jo, did not expect her to be proposing to him. He also hadn’t anticipated Jo being in a near death situation, but nonetheless Alex knew exactly what his answer would be. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I want nothing more than to keep on coming home to you Jo,” Alex leaned over and brought his hand up to rest gently against Jo’s cheek. Her eyes were shining with tears but she still wore  a wide smile. “And I’d really love it if you and Benji shared my last name too. So it’s a yes, it’s a hell yes to marrying you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alex closed the space between him and Jo, their lips meeting sweetly as she brought her hand up to cup his cheek. He had missed this, had waited for this moment since he had driven away from Iowa City seven years ago. The feeling of having Jo in his arms as his once again as his was something he hoped that he never forgot.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I love you Alex,” Jo’s eyes closed as she leaned her forehead against Alex’s. “I promise I’ll try to stay away from exploding buildings from now on.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’d like to hope so, otherwise we’re gonna have a problem,” Alex chuckled, his fingers cradling Jo’s face as a grin spread on his face. “I love you too Jo. So much.”</span>
</p>
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